Many common foods contain various allergens, and food allergy is common in both adults and children. The symptoms of food allergy include mild to severe allergic skin eruptions, respiratory tract allergy (allergic rhinitis and asthma), gastrointestinal reactions, migraine and allergic anaphylaxis. Foods which are generally regarded as being particularly allergenic include chocolate, peanuts and other nuts, milk and products containing milk protein, wheat, eggs, corn, pork, soy bean, tomato, orange, seafood, fish spices, condiments, wine, and other products of fermentation.
Chocolate contains various allergens, and chocolate allergy is common in both adults and children. Chocolate is manufactured from the beans of the Theobroma cacao tree. The cantaloupe-like slime of the cut cocoa pod is fermented, along with the bean, under leaves of the tree to bring out flavor. The shelled beans are broken into fragments called nibs. The nibs are finely ground into a liquid which is free flowing above its melting point (94–96° F.). The liquid at body temperature is known as “chocolate liquor”. This liquor comprises cocoa butter and cocoa powder. When chocolate liquor is heated and placed under pressure, the cocoa butter, which is fat, is squeezed out of the liquor and separated from the remaining mass of material. The remaining mass is finely ground to produce cocoa powder. The allergenic protein-containing component most evident resides in the unprocessed native chocolate liquor and in cocoa derived therefrom.
Although cocoa powder is used in many chocolate-flavored food products, it is the chocolate liquor which is primarily used in chocolate-flavored food products such as chocolate bars and chocolate confections. Regardless of whether cocoa powder or the complete chocolate liquor is utilized, the product will be allergenic due to the allergenic proteins in the cocoa powder component.
Migraine, in particular, is a common manifestation of chocolate intolerance or allergy. In a double blind study, chocolate ingestion was followed by a typical migraine episode in 5 out of 12 sensitive patients, while none of eight patients challenged with a placebo had an attack (Gibb et al., Cepahalagia 11, 93–95, 1991). The study utilized a chocolate prepared from cocoa powder, not complete chocolate liquor, according to the usual method for making chocolate. Had chocolate liquor been used, it is likely that migraine would have been observed in 100% of the sensitive patients. Furthermore, by presenting the chocolate as a tasteless capsule, this study bypassed the oral mucosal absorptive surface, and absorption through oral mucosal surfaces is a vital part of the migraine and/or allergy process. Because of the widespread use of chocolate as a component or flavoring in food products, there is a need for a hypoallergenic chocolate having the taste of natural chocolate, but lacking in allergenicity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,093 describes a hypoallergenic chocolate prepared by treating cocoa powder so as to denature substantially all of the protein allergens which cause chocolate allergies. Denaturation is achieved by a prolonged two-step heat treatment. In a first step, cocoa powder is prepared by heating the ground nibs of roasted cocoa beans at 215–300° F. at 5500–8000 lb./in3 for 15–90 minutes. In the second step, the cocoa powder prepared in the first step, is combined with cocoa butter and sugar and further heat-treated at 180–190° F. for 48–96 hours.
Chocolate and chocolate-style hypoallergenic compositions, as well as methods of preparing said compositions, are described in my copending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/591,503, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
Peanuts and other nuts are among the most severe common allergens have been referred to as “super allergens.” These foods present a potential catastrophic anaphylactic risk. Peanut allergy is usually a lifetime affliction of severe food allergy, and accounts for 70% of severe anaphylactic reactions, the remainder being due mainly to tree nuts (almost 30%), shrimp, and lobster.
The food industry has voluntarily adopted stringent regulations for the clean-up and labeling of allergen containing foods. Significant efforts and costs are expended each year in the recall of foods suspected to contain traces of allergens. There is a great need for methods of reducing the allergenicity of foods, both to improve food safety and to permit allergic individuals to enjoy common foods. There is also a need for improved methods for the reduction of fat in foods.
Improved methods and compositions for the oral delivery of medicaments and vitamins are also needed. Such oral methods and compositions would decrease the use of hypodermic, intramuscular, and IV injections in patient care with resulting great savings in discomfort, labor, and costs.